Category Archives: Artist

Snappy beginnings? Watch this snappy video from 1986. Power pop with Concrete Blonde's edgy young Johnette Napolitanoas shefirstices the deck then skates right through not a few of us old coot dance punks still prowling about. For those who remember those grinning days with a bit of sweat on our brow, let's just say, this group's Still in Hollywood is just a tease for what's to come in the early Nineties...

Anybody not chewing the cud knew by then that girls could rock like Elvis and right from the start, they were as punk as they wanted to be. But I'll be honest, I didn't discover Concrete Blonde until sometime in 2003 when I first launched Radio Scenewash and I think it was Andy Corrigan who gave me a stack of CD's which included the soundtrack of the David Lynch 1997 filmLost Highway.

My latest obsession is hearing and following the renaissance of 1970s-styled rock poets and musically innovative bands winning the hearts and minds of music ticket buyers everywhere. Among the classiest of these bands is The Gaslight Anthem, and Brian Fallon is their poet laureate.

In 2008, The Gaslight Anthem released The '59 Sound LP, their second album which alerted music fans and critics alike that something new was pulling into town...

The Gaslight AnthemTheir first effort, Sink Or Swim, was a crackling hint of what was to come, but the album sound was rougher with jarring guitars, irregular beats more reminiscent to metal which roared over the poet's lines than a group hell bent on cranking out some new code, but critics nodded in agreement that this band had something special, something worth noticing.

New Jersey rock fans knew there was something there as the TGA fan base grew, something that would remain there, even as they sharpened and clarified their delivery system. When the more polished breakthrough second album came along, huge segments of both the old school classic rock and post-punk rocker nation were easily hooked. The Gaslight Anthem rose to stardom quickly. With The '59 Sound many said a new Springsteen had been announced. Eventually it became rumored that the Boss himself was an avid fan, as he was spotted in the audience of increasingly growing crowds. Yes. Most of the lads even hailed from the same backyard palace of New Jersey, New Brunswick, a mere half hour from beachside Asbury Park. Soon they would share the same stage. Also in 2008, the band covered "God's Gonna Cut You Down" for the Johnny Cash tribute album All Aboard! A Tribute to Johnny Cash. Brian Fallon has stated several times that without The Replacements there would be no Gaslight Anthem, as they are heavily influenced by them, especially their song "Left of the Dial".

Paul Westerberg, of The Replacements once wrote a song, an acoustic ballad. When he played it to the rest of the band, it was met with silence. "Save that for your solo album, Paul," Bob Stinson said. "That ain't the Replacements". The track remained unreleased for years. Westerberg realized his toughest audience was the band itself, later saying, "If it doesn't rock enough, Bob will scoff at it, and if it isn't catchy enough, Chris won't like it, and if it isn't modern enough, Tommy won't like it."

There's no doubt that Brian Fallon and his group is assembled with those same sentiments in mind.

The Beast in Its Tracks, Josh Ritter, Pytheas Recordings "The Beast in Its Tracks" is an achingly beautiful album about the process of moving on from one love to the next. Oberlin College grad Josh Ritter handles the bitter ("Hopeful") and the sweet ("…

Bob Dylan has been charged with incitement to hatred in France after he was quoted comparing Croats with Nazis in an interview with Rolling Stone magazine, a judicial source said Monday. The world-famous American singer was questioned and charged last…

On September 3, alternative rock pioneers the Pixies released their first new music in over twenty years. In this excerpt from a longer interview, band members address early criticism of their new music, as well as the sudden departure of bassist Kim…

Lust, power, desperation and betrayal are all part of Sanctified, a rock opera, Claire on a Dare’s latest indie project which is currently raising funds to produce an album that fuses music and the art of storytelling. “Claire on a Dare presents…

Broke ex-lover puts Mick Jagger’s love letters up for sale San Francisco, CA -- (SBWIRE) -- 11/27/2012 -- Former Australian lover of Mick Jagger, Marsha Hunt, claims that she is broke and has decided to sell the secret love letters written between…

GRAMMY®-WINNING SINGER/SONGWRITER/PRODUCER AT VORTEX OF 1960s/'70s MUSIC REVOLUTION REVEALS DEEP ASSOCIATIONS WITH THE BEATLES, THE MONKEES, RANDY NEWMAN, DOZENS MORE Box set coincides with arrival of Nilsson: The Life of a Singer-Songwriter, first…

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